Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Benitez said he is being urged to run for the League of Cities in the Philippines presidency*
Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez said on Monday, July 11, that he is hoping that the expanded Negros Island Region, which will include Siquijor, will be operational this year.
“Hopefully we will see the resumption of the NIR soon, my target is within the year,” he said.
The goal is for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to reactive the NIR ahead of the passage of a law creating it, Benitez said.
Benitez said he met with Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. on Friday.
They discussed the mechanics and process on how the resumption of an expanded NIR, which will include Negros Occidental and Oriental and Siquijor, will be drafted as an executive order for the signature of the president, Benitez said.
Resolutions in support of the NIR will have to be sent to them, he added.
They also discussed the construction of the Panay-Guimaras- Negros Bridge that is a commitment of the Marcos administration, he said.
Nine Negros Island representatives filed a bill seeking the creation of an expanded NIR before the House of Representatives on July 6, Rep. Francisco Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) earlier confirmed.
The bill seeks to create Region VI- B composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Oriental and Siquijor, he said.
Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is expected to be the next Senate president, also confirmed that he filed a bill in the Senate seeking the creation of the NIR, which would be comprised of Negros Occidental and Oriental.
LEAGUE OF CITIES
Meanwhile, the Bacolod mayor said he is being urged to run for the League of Cities in the Philippines presidency.
“We’re in discussion but before I go for it I would like to know what the demands of that position are,” he said, because “I would like to prioritize Bacolod before accepting any other position”.
Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has expressed his desire to lead the LCP.*